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"It's absolutely heaving," said Shaun Rowe, 19, an English backpacker barman at the Pig 'n' Whistle pub in Brisbane, the Barmy Army's headquarters.

"People are out on the streets, having a sing-song. They've pretty much drunk us dry, just stripped the bar clean. It's been like this since the weekend. Everyone thinks we're going to win again."

While the Australians are tipped as favourites on the pitch, in the stands of the Gabba ground it will be a different matter.

Aussie fans are painfully aware that for years they have been outsung by their English counterparts, whose bawdy lyrics and cocky chants will resonate around sporting arenas across the continent over the next two months.

Dave Peacock, a Barmy Army co-founder, said the Australian fans had no chance of outcheering the English supporters.

He said a book of songs commissioned by Cricket Australia in an attempt to match the Barmy Army's vocal presence was a pale imitation of the English fans' "spontaneous humour and wit".

The song books includes ditties such as Monty Panesar's Useless, Cheer Up Michael Vaughan and Are You Ever Gonna Wash Pommie?

The songbook organiser, Warren Livingstone, said: "We don't have much of a tradition of singing in Australian sport, but we're hoping to change that this summer. It's going to be hard matching the Barmy Army, but we think it'll give our players a big lift."

The fans have promised to give the Aussie players as much stick as possible during the first clash between two of the world's great sporting rivals.

Warne will be mocked as a "fat git" and a "druggie" and there will also be a chant alleging that Ponting and fast bowler Glenn McGrath are gay lovers.

Ponting will also come under fire for his involvement in a couple of nightclub tussles with a song which claims that the Aussie captain "can't drink" and "can't fight". The opening batsman Justin Langer will be derided in song as a "short whinger".

Andrew Flintoff, the England captain, said he was amazed at the number of English supporters in Brisbane. "I went out for dinner last night and had a walk around Brisbane yesterday with the family and the amount of people I bumped into from Preston or wherever has been amazing. It's almost like I'm at home," he said.

"It's unbelievable. The fans have supported us now for a long time. They're very excited, as we are."

Meanwhile, the Barmy Army drew first blood against their Australian rivals yesterday with a 53-run win in a cricket match in Brisbane.